The Specialized Center of Research-Arteriosclerosis (SCOR-A) includes both clinical and experimental research programs on arteriosclerosis. A major phase of the clinical studies has been completed, i.e. data have been obtained showing the distribution of risk factor variables on approximately 3,500 school children, 5-14 years, and 700 preschool children, 2 and l/2 to 5 and 1/2 years. Extensive data tables which include means, ranges, percentiles and other statistics on weight, height, skinfold thickness, blood pressure and serum lipids are now printed and are being summarized. Estimates of measurement error for each variable are being obtained by rescreenees and blind duplicate laboratory samples. In addition, a newborn-infant cohort study on approximately 450 infants, longitudinal studies on selected age subsets, and a special study of children based on blood pressure levels are also in progress. One major objective is to observe changes of variables over time. The purpose of the Special Blood Pressure Study is to explore determinants of risk factors. Experimental research involves nutritional studies of nonhuman primates and laboratory studies on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. A phylogenetic study of serum lipid response to cholesterol-fat feedings in six species of monkeys revealed marked inter- and intra-species differences. Additional nutritional models are being explored to achieve a sustained mixed hyperlipoproteinemia. These nutritional models will serve to produce arterial lesions to study macromolecular changes in the arterial wall. Quite interesting observations on the interaction of serum lipoproteins with glycosaminoglycans in the presence of Ca ions suggest a mechanism affecting the influx and efflux of lipoproteins in the arterial wall. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Dalferes, E.R., Jr., Radhakrishnamurthy, B., Crouch, M. S. and Berenson, G. S.: A study of connective tissue macromolecular changes in skin of goldthioglucose-induced obese mice. Proc. Soc. for Exper. Biol. and Med., 148-918, 1975. Srinivasan, S.R., Dolan, P., Radhakrishnamurthy, B., Pargaonkar, P.S. and Berenson, G.S.: Lipoprotein--acid mucopolysaccharide complexes of human atherosclerotic lesions. Biochimica. Biophy. Acta., 388:58, 1975.